Halston Limited, an Electrical Engineering Consulting Company is pleased to be affiliated with the International Conferences on Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Caribbean since the inception in 2012. As the sponsor for its website, we believe that this is an excellent platform that can be used to support the interaction of industry with education. This is an avenue through which educational institutions can adapt their curricula to meet the needs/expectations of industry, thus supporting economic growth and development in the Caribbean. We graciously and wholeheartedly support the Fifth International Conference on TVET in the Caribbean using a most appropriate, relevant, and timely theme “TVET: Creating Opportunities in a Global Pandemic.” During this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as you creatively use technology to virtually navigate your way, we wish you a very successful and memorable conference.

MIC Institute of Technology (MIC-IT) (formerly Metal Industries Company Limited) was established in 1974 as a joint venture of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, the United Nations Development Programme / United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNDP/UNIDO) and a number of private local industries. After 40 years of providing manufacturing support to our customers through the design and production of high-quality tools, moulds, precision machining and manufacturing engineering, the MIC Institute of Technology was rebranded as a unique entity, operating as both a commercial factory and training institution.

MIC-IT was the first Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institution in the country to become accredited by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT). The institution holds Centre and Programme approvals with the National Training Agency (NTA), City and Guilds of London, and has a long-standing partnership with the German Chamber of Craft and Trades and the RWTH University in Aachen Germany. MIC-IT was also the first in the region to have an Accredited Welding Test Facility through the American Welding Society (AWS). With 14 Technology Centres across Trinidad and Tobago, the institution has become a major skills training provider offering over thirty (30) programmes designed to sustain the Engineering, Building Construction, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Teacher/Instructor Training, Tourism, Agriculture, and Energy sectors, all our programmes are designed to prepare students for the world of work through the ‘Work and learn’ model learning, which gives them the advantage of real, on-site job experience. Additionally, MIC-IT has expanded its services within the region by conducting training in St. Vincent, Guyana, Grenada, Suriname and St. Maarten.

The global pandemic, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the world and severely affected the delivery of TVET education. As such, this conference is geared towards connecting regional and international TVET experts and associates to explore how the various challenges experienced can be addressed and how new modes, approaches, and opportunities identified can be embraced for the perseverance of TVET education. As a major TVET provider in Trinidad and Tobago in these unprecedented times, MIC-IT chose to be a sponsor in this event as this opportunity will provide insight on various innovative strategies, and relevant functionalities necessary for sustainability and further growth and development for TVET education in the region.